Door-opener.



W. H. DIGGS.

DOOR OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 11912 1 ,27 1 ,445. v I v Patented July 2, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WELFORD H. DIGGS, 0F EMPORIA, KANSAS.

DOOR-OPENER.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1918.

Application filed March a, 1917. Serial No. 152,892.

had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The invention has reference generally to improvements in that class of inventions known as locks. and latches and more particularly relates to improvements in a foot operable door opener.

As the primary aim and object the present invention contemplatesthe provision of novel means operably connected to the door knob whereby when depressed b a person the door latch, which may be 0 the usual construction, will be opened, thus permitting persons to enter and leave the room through the door without having to use their hands to operate the door: latch as is. customarily the case.

It is an equally important object of the present invention to provide resilient means for rleturning the door knob and consequently the latch to its normal position upon release of the foot operating lever.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to mount the foot operating lever.

so that it may be actuated from opposite sides of the door so that the mechanism may be used when a person is either entering or I leaving the room; and to mount novel means on the foot operating lever 'for closing the slots in the attaching plate and the door for preventing air passing through these pas-i sages, said means being actuatable' with the lever and constructed so as to close the open ings regardless of the position of the lever.

Among the other aims and objects of this invention may be recited the provision of a device of the character described with a view tocompactness, and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple, the

cost of production low and the efliciency high.

Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scope of this invention will be more readily apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim, forming a part of this specification.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device applied to a door.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, the door being shown in vertical section, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views,

' to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now, more particularly, to the accompanyingdrawings I provide a door 1 having vertical slot 2 adjacent the lower edge thereof. A door knob 3 has the shank 4 operably connected to the latch 5. These parts of coursemay be of any conventional construction. i

A rod 6 is now provided and has an ear 7 formed on the upper end thereof and in order to operably connect the rod to the doorknob shank I have provided improved clamping means which in the present instance consist of an arm 8 which is pivoted at itsinner end by means of a pin 9 to the ear 7, a semi-circular clamp 10 being formed on the opposite end. A short arm 11 is rigidly connected to the arm 8 by means of'a suitable fastening device 12, this arm terminating in a semi-circularclamp 13 which cooperates with the clamp 10. These clamps are arranged about the shank 4 and are removably connected thereto through the medium of a suitable fastening device such asa screwbolt 14 as indicated in Fig. 1.

With a view toward providing the foot operable means for actuating the knob shank I have provided a substantially rectangular attachingplate 15 having a vertical slot 16 therein which registers with the slot 2 inthe door when the plate is removably connected thereto through the medium of screws 16. The inner face of the plate may be provided about its inner and outer edge with a spacing rib 17 for a purposethat will presently appear. An ear 18 is formed on the upper edge ofthe plate and slidably receives the rod 6 to guide the movement thereof. .A foot actuating lever 19 is provided with an opening adjacent one end in which is removably engaged the lower threaded end 20 of the rod 6. As will be appreciated upon reference to Fig. 2 the foot lever is arranged transversely through the alining slots 16 and 2 and so that it may be engaged from opposite sides of the door.

Spurs 21 are formed on the upper surface of the respective ends of the lever to facilitate engagement of the foot of a person therewith when the lever is depressed and pushed or pulled in a direction corresponding to the direction in which the door customarily swings, this pressure serving to actuate the knob to release the latch 5. In order to prevent a draft of air passing through the slots a plate 22 is carried by the foot lever intermediate the ends thereof preparatory to the mounting of the foot lever and is slidable therewith being normally positioned between the door and the attaching plate and at all times serves to close the slots. The rib 17 of course prevents the plate from frictionally engaging the attaching plate of the door during movement.

In order to automatically return the rod,

foot lever and door latch to their normal positions subsequent to releaseof the foot lever improved resilient means have been provided which in the present instance consist ofa coil spring 23 the respective ends of which bear against the upper surface of the ear 18 and a washer 24 held in a' substantially rigid'position on the rod by means of a transversely extending cotter pin 25.

The operation of the present invention ma be reviewed as follows:

ssuming that the parts have been assembled in the manner described and a person desires to enter the room through which passage is obtained by opening the door 1, the end of the foot lever 19 which projects through the slot 2 is depressed which compresses the spring and partially rotates the knob owing to the connection of the rod 6 therewith. As soon as the foot lever has been depressed a desired extent the foot of the operator being engaged on the adjacent spur 21 an inward pushing movement is imparted to the lever to consequently move the door inwardly, assuming that it swings in such direction. As soon as the foot lever is released the spring 23 automaticall returns the members to their normal posltion.

If the door is closed and a person desires to leave the room the portion of the foot lever 21 adjacent the rod is depressed to actuate the knob and the adjacent spur being engaged, the person opening the door imparts an inward pulling movement to the door so as to move it inwardly into an open position.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention and that various minor changes in detail of construction, proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claim and without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

In a device of the kind described, in combination, a door formed at its lower end with a vertical opening, a latch carried by said door, a single plate formed at opposite ends with right angular lugs, fasteners securing said plate against said door so that its lugs may engage said door and said plate be spaced from the door opposite its opening, an outwardly-extending ear formed upon said plate upon its outer side, said ear having an opening, a vertical rod slidably projecting into said ear and being threaded at its lower end portion, said rod being operatively connected to said latch, a spring against which said rod operates as it moves down through said car, a foot plate projecting slidably into said opening in the door, said spring surrounding said rod and resting upon said ear, the threaded end of said rod engaging said foot-plate so as to support the latter, and a guard plate secured upon the foot plate opposite the inner side of said first-named plate and slidably covering the first-named opening.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WELFORD H. DIGGS. 

